Beer 77: Belhaven Wee Heavy Scottish Ale

It is utterly amazing how much one can accomplish when not bothered by co-workers, phones and email.  I was reminded of that today after spending a few hours in the office.  I’m heading into the upcoming week feeling prepared for a change.   That’s a nice feeling.

So nice that I picked up Gary on the way home and we hit TJ’s Everyday in Paoli for a beer and a snack.  I went with the Belhaven Wee Heavy Scottish ale.  It poured with very little head that very quickly disappeared and left behind a beer that looked somewhere between a very dark iced tea or light cola.  If the light hit it right, there were ruby highlights in there as well  It had very little carbonation.  It smelled of roasted malts, a bit sweet and somewhat earthy.  The taste was caramel, malt smoothness and no hop bite whatsoever.  It drank with a viscous mouth feel.  This is a very good beer.  The label suggests that I sip and savor it and respect it fully.  At 6.5% ABV and with all that flavor, you would be out of your mind to show it disrespect by gulping it!

The Wee Heavy come to us from Belhaven Brewery, which dates to 1719 in Scotland with some of the cellars and wells dating to the 12th century.  Nothing like a little history to go with your beer!  And, of course, it goes without saying that for the rest of the night, I’ll be dropping a “If it’s not Scottish, it’s crap” at every possible opportunity.

Cheers!